Echidnas, frogs and lizards to delight at children’s Biodiversity Day

Local school children from the Blayney, Wyangala, Bigga and Trunkey Creek districts will learn about the fascinating creatures that share their backyards at the Kanangra-Boyd to Wyangala (K2W) Biodiversity Day on 11 September.

Run to coincide with National Biodiversity Month, Landcare Week and National threatened Species week, children from eight primary schools will have a chance to see some of their local animals, insects and plants on the day, and to learn how to care for their environment through a series of fun activities, including a visit from Taronga’s Zoomobile.

Other planned activities include visits from the National Parks and Wildlife Service’s Discovery Rangers and the Office of Environment and Heritage’s Threatened Species Van, Landcare, and a presentation on feral animals by Local Land Services.

The event is being run as part of Glideways, a new conservation project that is being rolled out as part of the K2W partnership from September. The partnership aims to raise awareness about gliding possums and other tree-dwelling animals and their habitats in the K2W landscape.

K2W will work with local landholders, community groups and organisations like Local Land Services to deliver a range of projects to assist gliders, including nest box building, replanting of flowering shrubs, and citizen science surveys.

“We are lucky to have all five species of glider that occur in New South Wales living in our area. Sadly, populations of these special marsupials are declining in many locations. We hope that the Biodiversity Day will inspire kids to join in and help conserve these lovely animals, ” says Mary Bonet, K2W Facilitator.

The K2W partnership has been working in the area between the Greater Blue Mountains and Wyangala Dam since 2012 to protect the area’s wildlife and natural resources by relinking the landscape.

“The K2W Link forms a natural highway for animals, birds and plants between the Greater Blue Mountains and Wyangala. The area already contains a good proportion of well-connected native habitat. We are working with local communities to strengthen these natural connections through revegetation and control of problem weed and feral animals that threaten our wildlife and agricultural production,” says Mary.

“Our area supports over 2,400 species of native plants, animals, fish and reptiles including many threatened and endemic ones. By conserving for gliders we also support the many other plants and animals that share their home such as Spotted-tailed Quolls, Koalas and Flame Robins.”

K2W runs a series of events each year such as the Biodiversity Day to provide opportunities for community involvement and education.

“By involving children directly in events such as this we help to create a new generation of nature carers. By teaching kids about the unique plants and animals that share their homes and how to look after them, we help to instill a sense of stewardship and responsibility that will hopefully last a lifetime,” concludes Mary.

The K2W Link forms part of the Great Eastern Ranges Initiative, a globally significant project that is engaging communities, landholders and organisations to connect 3,600km of land from the Grampians in Victoria, to tropical Queensland.